The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-21
MERRIMAC VS.. MONITOR.
A MIDsHIPMAN's ACCOUNT OF THE
BATTLE WITH THE "cHEEsEBoX."


BATTLE WITH THE "cHEESEBoX"
How the Confederates Expected to An.
initiate it with One Fell swoop-De-
tails OF the Proposed Engagement.
Why It Failed.
cit is not generally KNOWN said
Lieut.. Littlepage, formerly of the Con-
federate navy, to me in speaking Of the
famous fight between the Monitor and the
Merrimac, "that extensive preparations
were made in the repair to the Merrimac
after the fight SO as to have the next con-
test between the two iron clads one Of
short duration. l was a midshipman on
the Merrimac when she fought the MOni-
tor, and / can say that we were taken
wholly by surprise when the strange YES
sci put in an appearance in Hampton
roads. We had sunk the Cumberland,
caused the Congress to burn, and the Min
nesota and one or two others to run
aground, and on that morning when we
went out, we thought, TO finish the Min
nesota, which had been unable to get
itself off the bar, our first intimatiOn of
the presence of the Monitor was when
we saw her run out from behind
the Minnesota to attack us before
we could begin the onset upon the
Minnesota. We thought at first it
was a raft on which one of the Min
nesota's boilers was being taken to the
shore for repairs, and when suddenly
shot was fired from her turret we imag
ined an accidental explosion of some kind
had taken place on the raft.
In the engagement that followed we
were unable to do anything with her
though our guns were served continuous
ly aud broadside after broadside was dis
charged. We tried TO ram her, but found
that our PROV had been too badly damaged
by running into the Cumberland on the
day before to inf1ict any harm upon the
Monitor. She pounded us considerably,
but not shot penetrated our armor,
though it was IoOsened and repairs made
imperative at the earliest moment. Our
vessel was leaking badly, but by active
efforts we were enabled to keep her from
taking too much water. While we had
81 of our crew wounded we thought that
we had escaped losses in that respect in q
remarkable degree. Had shot from the
Monitor entered one of our port holes it
would have probably killed no less than
90 men, for there was crew of $50 men
aboard so that there would be no lack Of
help when an emergency should arise,
and we were quite closely packed to-
gether.
THE CONFEDERATEs' PLAN.
"About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the
Monitor withdrew from the fight and
went over the bar into shallow water
where we, drawing much more water
than she, could not follow. We under
stood that she had run out of ammuni-
ton. AS we were leaking badly and there
was no prospect that we would be able
to reach the Minnesota in the shallow
water where she lay, our captain gave
the order to return to Norfolk, where we
Immediately went into dry dock for re-
pairs. 1t was fully q month before we
were ready to go out again, and mean
while all sorts of reports were circulated
among the Federals about US. 1t was
claimed that we were afraid to show
ourselves to fight, all of which we only
laughed at, feeling that we would soon
be able to give good account of our
selves. l think that if the two vessels
had again met we should have made
short work OF the Monitor. Every bit of
our armOr had been replaced by plates
two inches thick, and we had also q large |
number of shot for the inch guns in the |
form of bolts about 215 feet in length,
pointed with steel, with which we in
tended to make certainly an impression
upon the Monitor. Beside all these things
we had organized boarding party, which
was divided into several sections.
sit was the plan for the proposed en-.
gagement that the Merrimac should at
once run alongside of the Monitor We
could easily do this for our engines were
more powerful than hers and we could
make greater speed. Then one section
Of the boarding party would Immediately
put down gang planks by which the men
would speedily get on board the Monitor,
one section of them taking sIedges and
iron wedges to drive between the turret
of the ship and her deck, so as to prevent
1t from revolving and pointing her guns
at us; another party was to run around
the turret with hawSer made fast to our
bow and which was to lie coiled upon
deck ready for the emergency, and after
the circuit had been made of the turret
the plan was to fasten the other end of
the hawser to the Merrimac and thus bind
the two vessels together. While this was
going on another party was to rush to
the turret and everywhere else that an
opportunity was offered and pour oil down
into the hold of the Monitor and then set
fire to it. Another force was to be ready
with large tarpaulinS to eXtinguish the
flames should the crew of the Monitor
surrender and it be desired to save the
vessel
''But we were disappointed in all this,
for when at last we were ready and
steamed out of Norfolk we found that the
Monitor was with a number of other
Federal vessels under the shelter of the
land Notifications. We felt ourselves a
match for any or all of the vessels, but
in no condition to stand the combined
force of the feet and the Notifications, so
we withdrew. Then when Norfolk sur
rendered and there seemed no longer a
chance for the Merrimac to be of service
she was blown up and destroyed. Those
are a few of the facts connected with that
fight that have never been published. -
20 Tor